


Aruani Week & Other Stories

by littlegreencloak



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, AruAni, Aruani Week, Canon verse, F/M, Family, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kids AU, Modern AU, More tags to come later on, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-04-10 08:30:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4384607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlegreencloak/pseuds/littlegreencloak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A compilation of fics for Aruani Week, as well as a small compilation of other random short fics for the pairing that I hold dear to my heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Release

**Author's Note:**

> Kicking the collection off with the Day 1 theme for Aruani Week, Forgiveness, set in canon verse. Enjoy :)

Just when he thought that she'd remain lying there lifeless, he finally saw her chest move slowly in dry heaves. 

"Thank god Annie, you're alive," he whispered through her ear, hand caressing the face of the still-cold girl, limp in his arms.

The girl he was made to forget.

But he came back to her, one last time, because it just always felt as if it were - the very last - time, with every scouting mission likely turning him up dead. But why come back for the body locked away in a crystal?

It was when he snuck through her chamber most nights, that he gazed longingly at her marble face, perfectly kept and safe, away from the danger of outside. A world that would have her chained by the neck the second sunlight would hit her face.

Nobody forgot what she had done, or what had happened - especially him. Someone who knew exactly what she was, what she would do and when she would do it.

But when he looked through the galaxies through her eyes, there was someone in a poorly-lit room, locked and in chains without a sliver of sunlight.

He can't remember when he first saw her eyes like that, or how. All that he could keep track on was her heaving chest, forcing out choking breaths. Instantly, her eyes began flickering open.

"Wwww....where?" she breathed dryly. 

"A-Annie! Annie, can you hear me?" he asked, shaken as he pulled her body closer towards him.

As her eyes opened, the very first thing that she laid her eyes upon was him. Despite her blurry vision, the slowly-developing portrait of that fragile, innocent face made her heart leap out of her throat.

That soft face, those young eyes - the last things she wanted to see close to her, both before and after she remembered the dry ice entrapping her body in a crystal. But he was - here?

Her empty body brought her back into a reminder of the same staleness of her heart. It had been bled out, beaten, and bruised far more than her physical training over the years ever could have done. It had died and revived itself too many times through her wavering moral compass, so she simply let it stop and give up. As a release. 

But through and through, she had empty hands, with nothing but deep gashes and bruises left to show, a constant reminder of what she's done. Who'd she'd taken advantage of. Why she had to lie. Why she killed.

Because it's who I am.

"Ar....Armin, I...," she struggled through her words. "I.... please....why?"

"Why...why what?" the boy trembled.

"You're here....why?" she gasped. "You....you're not supposed to...." she choked.

"Shh, hey Annie, don't strain yourself," he hushed, grabbing onto her tighter. "Of course I came back."

"But...but no, please," she panted, weakly reaching out her hand towards his arm. "Please....go."

"Hey, hey, please....look," he whispered, cupping her chin and shifting it towards his face, his eyes' deep blueness stinging at her chest.

"I have no reason to leave," he continued. "Because I know what really happened."

She paused, blurry eyesight lifting as she could see the full, clear portrait of his face.

"I want to do what I can, for you," he added, smiling. "I can't even explain, but when I met you, something....something felt different."

"Just go, please," she croaked. "Just walk away. And never look back. Find someone who will stay." 

"Well, I wouldn't have to look farther than here for that, now would I?" he replied.

"No, just, stop....please, don't throw yourself into this. You're smart enough...," - she choked - "to know what you're getting yourself into."

"Yeah, I do," he answered. "But something, somewhere is telling me - that it's exactly where I should be."

"I-I never thought," - she heaved - "that you would be so stupid. Aren't you the one with the brain?"

"I think that both head and heart should equally balance each other out in major decisions," he replied. "And I know that you, more than anyone, is strong enough to make into a changed life." 

"A changed life? Do you know who I am?" she spat back. "Have you seen what I've done?"

"But I've also seen you do different things, too - nice things," he added. "You're still a nice person, aren't you, Annie?"

"Don't - don't go there, it's really not...." her heart sunk to her knees. Don't make me remember that. Not now. That one moment of false hope.

"You're still pretty nice, aren't you, Annie?"

He gently lifted her face up closer towards his, locking lips against hers in sweeping, tracing movements. Her body embraced the warmth, despite what was pulsating through her brain. How did this happen? How did we get here?

Slowly, he pulled his lips away from hers. "I forgive you," he breathed, forehead pressed against hers, wrapping a hand over her trembling hand. "I'll stay here, always. For as long as you need me."

Drifting back into his thick mist of warmth, she allowed herself to fall back in, small tears streaming down her cheeks.


	2. Dandelions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kid!AU that I wrote a while back for a request on my tumblr, deathbyaruani. It's one of my favourites that I've written so far.

The little girl knew that no one would want to be her friend, let alone go near her. Even on the first day of kindergarten, she scared too many kids away with what her father called her “resting angry face” - that which she had supposedly gotten from her mother, or whatever that meant. How was she supposed to know, anyway, especially since she’d never met her mother.

Walking through the wide daycare doors, a surge of anxiety clutched Annie’s heart, as she gripped her father’s strong hand, despite him not even looking down to see how terrified she was. She wish she had a mommy, like all the kids around her, someone to look through her with soft eyes, fix up her boo-boos and hug her while she told her how everything was going to be alright. At age five, Annie could only dream of those luxuries. 

Once her father had long gone, kids were already starting to giggle amongst each other, building blocks and sharing their toys as new friendships were sprouting up left and right. It was “healthy” for her to socialize, and it was “normal” for her not to sit in a corner the whole time and make friends. But she was alright in her small corner, right beside the bookshelf - that way, she couldn’t scare anyone.

A few hours later, the children had been sent out to recess. Annie continued to sit idly by, finding a small patch of grass secluded away from the crowds. At least here, she could sit and enjoy her own company in peace. 

Suddenly, she saw a tiny blond boy, cheeks a bursting bright pink, struggling to carry his abnormally small legs over to her secluded forest. Obviously crippled from his small jog, the boy found a seat next to Annie.

“Hello,” the little boy smiled, ocean eyes glistening like diamonds. “How are you? My name’s Armin, what about you?”  
Hesitantly, she responded, “Annie. Why did you come here?”

“Well, I saw you sitting here all alone, so I thought maybe you were feeling lonely,” the docile boy replied. “And I also wanted to give you this,” he continued, tugging a shrunken dandelion from the grass. He slowly tucked the small flower through a strand of her hair, pulling it back gingerly as he grinned at her small blush.   
Turning away in embarrassment, Annie said softly, “…thank you, Armin. It’s pretty.”

“Not as pretty as you, Annie,” he beamed. “And you’re welcome.”  
Turning her reddened face back to him, she could’ve sworn that she’d never smiled this wide before.  
In that moment, she knew she found her first best friend.


	3. Tonight's the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A teeny tiny piece of fluff I wrote for AruAni Week in November. Apologies for the hecka late update, I've been a bit lazy in digging up some old unpublished stories. Expect a new chapter in roughly one week! I'm going to try and make these weekly updates :)

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” the blond boy grinned, gazing at the shimmering stars dotting the clear night sky. He was obviously in love with the feel of the outdoors, the entrancing escape of nature…the crisp night sky, the warm summer breeze smoothing through their hair with the sweet tune of crickets and cackling fire in the distance…yes, this was their night. It was almost as if everything was set up for the two of them, preparing the perfect melody in place to sing to the joy of their hearts.

Of course the girl, Annie, adored the great outdoors too, from the climb through dense forest to the howling wind singing through her ears, although she was more willing to sit back and smile, dipping her dangling feet into freezing water from the bench, listening to the constant chatter of her long-time lover, Armin, talk her ear off with random factoids.

She was always the quiet one, the lone wolf, sitting at the back of the class, walking back and forth from class to class with the same silent routine. That was, of course, until she stumbled right into him - quite literally, actually - and found the one missing flame to her candle. A sunshine she never knew could shine so bright, if she even knew what sunshine even was.

Two years ago to this day, and after hearing him jump from one fact to the next, Annie never stopped thinking about the one person left in the world who wanted to hold her hand - the way he’d cradle her at night, laugh all of her laughs with her, and cry to all of her tears. The one voice that would whisper to her the last words she’d thought she’d hear: “I understand.” I really do.

The night grew cheesier and cheesier for her, as the two of them whistled to the long-time rhymes of childhood, throwing their heads back in laughter and joking of all the precious days gone by. She chuckled, expecting nothing but the cheesiest from her soft-hearted boy…yes, she could finally say that - the innocent, yet wise boy of all her yesteryears. Memories slip by far too fast.

“Happy anniversary, Annie,” Armin whispered to her, planting a soft kiss on to her lips as he pulled her closer, arm tenderly wrapped around her. His eyes softened as they looked right into her, the crystal blue colour sparkling brighter than any other passing star in the sky. Eyes that held her in the promise of a sincere ‘I’ll never let go’. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Armin. Here’s to many more,” she beamed, pulling him in for another slow, enticing kiss.

With lips softer than the paleness of nature’s pure light, warmer than the sweet wind dancing through their hair.

And many more to come.


	4. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin decides on whether or not Annie has feelings for him based upon the age-old she-loves-me-she-loves-me-not trope, cuteness ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Biggest apologies for the lateness guys! I'm working on multiple projects atm and starting uni very soon, so please try and stay patient! I'll keep you guys posted on updates on my Tumblr, deathbyaruani.
> 
> Thanks for understanding! :)

Armin immediately rushed out from his desk at the toll of the lunch bell, his eyes intently focused on the tile floors in praying hopes that no one would stop and ask him how his cheeks could turn that red. He made his way to the small patch of grass at the back of the school, where a soothing view of small clouds and the hushed whispers of student-grown trees became his impenetrable fortress, almost as though it was made for him and his anxiety.

And today, especially today, he needed it more than anything.

The boy remembered the first second his heart started thump-ing - in his first morning class. What time was it, then? 9:38 am. What was the weather like outside? So humid, I could’ve died. What was the teacher discussing? The deep hue of the walls, penetrating through the blond’s mind much further today than every other one? Why were the walls so achingly blue, why was his sweat almost burning through his uniform?

Oh, right, now I remember - it was her. Annie.

Her image grew vivid in his mind, more and more clear until he could bring it down to every last detail. The sharp point of her jaw, the sculpted build of her arms, soft golden hair framing those eyes -

No, stop it. Stop thinking back. Stop thinking about the gentle edges. Stop. Thinking. About. Her. That’s how we got here in the first place, anyway, he thought. He was already shamed enough from his clear blushing a few moments ago in open view, he wasn’t willing to embarrass himself when he was alone as well. What about her made me so - red? How could I have had enough self-control with her before, but now it just decides to break?

Pulling a long breath, he forced himself to erase that mindset. Just stare at the clouds. Stare at the clouds. Calm breaths.

His anxiety sped through every last detail of the morning, analyzing through every last image he kept locked deep at the dark corners of his mind to a tee. The anxiety was a science to him, scoping through every blind lens of his life and bled it dry, down to every last sound, movement, word or voice. Every moment intensified, every sound amplified, despite the sad help of the anxiety pills downed every morning and night, day in and day out. It was as bitter on his tongue as his mind swam through life the only way it knew how - through small details. That’s why he made himself to find a small safe haven anywhere he went - it was his only way of staying alive.

He could feel his heart weighing him down through the layers of cement, mind wafting through the hypnotic, unescapable thoughts trapped in his brain. Lying his head down and following the bounce of the clouds, conflicted emotions of both comfort and doubt gripped him by the throat. There was no use in trying to distract himself from this pull now, even the calm of the clouds were whispering the rawness through his ear - what would happen if she saw me? Would she approach me? What would I say to her?

What if she saw me like this? What if - for god’s sakes - answers something for her?

Shit, no, that’s just a dream. Shit. 

He sat up, pulling up a lilac from its roots and held it tenderly in his palm, caressing the petals as he debated whether or not he should actually do this. It was an elementary school belief, after all, riddled with overboard fantasies.

“She loves me,” the boy sighed, picking off one petal. “She loves me not,” another petal.

“She loves me… she loves me not.”

Drawing another shaky breath, “she loves…”

“She loves you,” a soft voice appeared up from behind him. Terror spiked through his veins once he could feel the cool breath biting at his skin -

It was her. 

“A-Annie?” he stuttered her name. “Annie, I -”

Before he could catch up his breath, the girl pulled him into a kiss. She dove in headfirst to it, allowing her lips to lock onto that soft surface. After the initial shock of her presence, the boy swiftly eased himself into his deepest burning desires, allowing his hands to lace through her pale fingers.

In the long pull back from their kiss, the girl muttered those three little releasing words once again -

“She loves you.”


	5. A Lone Flower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canon-Verse
> 
> A tiny gift for a precious girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An Aruani Secret Santa gift for cassymira on Tumblr - Merry Christmas! Enjoy the fluffy cuteness c:
> 
> There seems to be a running trend of Aruani x flowers with me... oops XD  
> Enjoy another flower fic because you can never have enough of those c:

She found him sitting at the tip of the small mountain, wind blowing through his golden locks, the look of untouched innocence on his face.

Their world had been too cruel, the harsh reality looming over them that, one day, they would be out of their training grounds and facing those monsters, those - Titans. They would be eaten, see others being eaten, or would have to live with the permant jabbing scars of yesterday. The permanent scars that could never get their unsaved comrades back.

Annie loomed over behind the blond-haired boy, finding him with a white lilac sitting softly above the tips of his nose, almost as if he had no care in the world. Or that he was holding on to every last breath of peace, before he'd have to soon let it go. The lilac wasn't ready to blow away with the wind, not yet.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Armin asked the girl, whose mysterious green eyes he'd caught meeting right with his. The girl he'd seen around for ages, shifting through the crowd, invisible, yet noticeably flipping a man right onto his back without a trace. Her shining eyes were searching for something, somewhere, lost as they struggled looking away from his attention. 

His eyes refused to divert attention to her as she looked away, her cold darkness not turning him away for a second. In most cases, she was the one to turn others towards the opposite direction, but as for him, there wasn't a second where he thought of giving up. Besides, in the past few years, they've both shared so much, built a pact, kept secrets in the dark...a secret friendship that they'd never imagined would be truth. But from the way her intensity magnetized him, and the way his tender smile turned her to shy mush, this was something that simply couldn't be tossed away. And since a couple months ago, he could've sworn that he'd felt something more. Their hearts would beat faster, their voices speaking much softer...words sounding closer and closer to the sounds of awakening love.

He brushed away a small strand of her light hair, fixing the flower through the strands until it fit almost perfectly. Her face froze in shock, looking back up to stare right at him. "Armin," she muttered, "why did you..."

"Sh," he replied, folding his hand smoothly over her fingers. "It looks much nicer when it's on you, Annie," he grinned. 

The girl slowly looked back down at the blowing grass in front of her, terrified of the small pieces of truth bleeding out of her so visibly right now. The truth was her weakness, the one last thing that voiced her dying, useless voice. Dying and searching for death.

Nonetheless, Armin still wore his delicate smile, planting a light kiss onto her cheek. We may never see each other again, he thought, despite the nerves swerving around inside him. At least I could give her one last goodbye.

Looking back at him, the girl's eyes suddenly turned a shade brighter, as the sun gleamed through her golden hair. All the more beauty to admire, far beyond that of an angel, at least to him. 

That it was the light in her eyes, and the almost-invisible smile across her lips, subtly holding his hand tighter. 

She looked away, again, towards the fields, and with the shades of grey behind them...in front of her, she could almost see a small light.


End file.
